Recruit Luffy at the start and build the strongest navy.

On an island somewhere at the beginning of the Grand Line.

"oh!!"

"Dear benefactors, please eat and drink well, and don't be shy with us!"

"You've helped our village so much, we don't know how to properly thank you. We can only do our best to treat you well!"

An elderly man, wearing a cashmere hat, short in stature, and leaning on a cane, looked at the young man in front of him who was enjoying his meal with a kind smile and spoke.

In front of him, a large group of people were gathered around a huge barbecue grill, and next to the huge grill were many smaller barbecue grills.

Each grill was filled with different kinds of meat, and under the heat of the flames, countless golden fats seeped out of the meat and dripped onto the flames below, making a sizzling sound.

The aroma of roasted meat filled the surroundings.

Countless villagers looked exhausted, but even more excited and thrilled.

Their eyes were filled with light, a longing for a better future.

Although the future is uncertain and no one knows what will happen, they are certain that whatever life is like will be a thousand times better than their past hellish existence.

In the past, their village was ruled by the Scissors Pirates. Under the oppression of the Scissors Pirates, they lived in dire straits every day.

Those pirates didn't treat them like human beings at all; they were even worse than livestock.

And if there's a woman in the family who's even slightly attractive, then they're really in big trouble.

For those inhuman pirates, burning, killing, looting, and kidnapping young girls are perfectly normal things.

Naturally, some villagers resisted during this process.

However, the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, and without exception, all the villagers who resisted died at the hands of those pirates.

The Scissors Pirates, captained by Edward Scissors, have a bounty of 55 million Berries. Pirates of this strength might not be considered anything special on this high seas.

However, for the first half of the Grand Line, in the area near the four seas, he was already considered a pirate with considerable strength.

I wouldn't dare say much, but he was more than capable of ruling a village.

The Scissors Pirates came to their village three years ago, which means they have been subjected to this inhumane oppression for three whole years.

Three years of hellish living had taken a toll on their mental state, but just when they were about to lose hope, their hero appeared!

Five young boys and girls who came from the sea, after hearing about their plight, resolutely helped them escape their misery.

They engaged in a fierce battle with the Scissors Pirates, ultimately defeating them and rescuing them.

These five people are their great benefactors, the great benefactors of the entire village, and even the great benefactors of their descendants.

Because if it weren't for them, this group of people might have died at any time, and there would be no future, no descendants.

So even though three years of oppression left them exhausted and demoralized, if the oppression were gone, there would be hope for the future and a future full of hope for life.

That's why their eyes are so bright now.

Before long, the meat in front of a kind-looking man was ready, and he immediately picked it up and walked toward the five people under the huge barbecue grill.

He placed the roasted meat on a large plate in front of one of the boys wearing a straw hat, and smiled as he spoke to him:

"Luffy, this is freshly grilled meat. I added some secret seasoning. What do you think of the taste? It's definitely better than what those guys grill!"

"Oh ho~"

The man called Luffy had a bulging belly, but upon hearing this, his eyes immediately turned into fleshy eyes, and saliva involuntarily dripped from his mouth.

"Uncle Lian, I can't wait!!"

As he spoke, Luffy reached for the roasted meat in front of him.

Upon seeing this, Ryan, who had just been all smiles, immediately changed his expression and instinctively shouted:

"Don't!!"

But he was still one step too late; Luffy's hand had already landed on the roasted meat.

The next second—

"Ah!! It's so hot!!!"

Luffy jumped up and down, his face flushed, and he kept swinging his right hand.

Ryan stood to the side, looking utterly helpless.

"I forgot to remind you, kid, this is fresh out of the oven, it's still piping hot!"

Actually, it wasn't that Lian forgot to remind him; he simply didn't expect Luffy to be so naive as to grab it with his bare hands.

And this grilled meat is steaming hot, you can imagine it must be very hot, right?

Luffy is going to use his hands directly; where can he go to reason with that?

Usopp, who was standing nearby, burst into laughter upon seeing this, looking at Luffy with the eyes of someone who thought he was an idiot.

Luffy turned his head instantly, his gaze landing on Usopp, and his voice rose.

"Usopp, what are you laughing at?!"

"I'm laughing at you for being such a fool, Luffy!"

Usopp didn't try to hide anything and spoke directly.

"Hey! You bastard, I challenge you to a duel!!"

Upon hearing this, Luffy jumped up and glared at Usopp.

Usopp, not to be outdone, retorted after hearing Luffy's words:

"Let's have a final showdown! Who's afraid of who?!"

After saying that, Usopp jumped up from the ground, his eyes fixed on Luffy.

Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to become tense and hostile.

The surrounding villagers were all stunned by this scene, looking completely bewildered.

Everything was fine just now, why is it suddenly time for a final battle?

Out of gratitude to their benefactor, they didn't want to see the two of them quarrel. However, before they could even try to stop them, Usopp suddenly pulled two thin, black chopsticks from his pocket and shouted:

"A divine weapon, the Ironclad Soldier of Will!"

Then Usopp's face lit up with a confident expression as he looked at Luffy with smug satisfaction.

"Luffy, just give up!"

"This is my meticulously crafted Will-Controlled Ironclad Soldier, capable of increasing my combat power by two hundred percent!!"

"Gahahahaha, Luffy, you're doomed!!"

Usopp stood with his hands on his hips, grinning like a fool.

Upon hearing this, Luffy on the other side was immediately taken aback.

"What?! It's the legendary Will-Controlling Iron Rod Soldier! This is an ancient artifact! I can't believe you've actually recreated it!"

"It seems this battle won't be so easy to resolve!"

Ruff's face was full of seriousness, but then he changed the subject.

"but……"

"You're not the only one who owns ancient artifacts!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy also pulled two small yellow chopsticks out of his pocket and shouted:

"A divine weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Monkey King's Staff)!!"

"Combined!!"

Luffy shoved two yellow chopsticks directly into his nostrils, stretching them out to an enormous size.

Usopp, who was opposite him, also suddenly changed his expression.

"I never expected you to possess the legendary artifact, the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Monkey King's Staff). It seems I underestimated you, Luffy!"

"But—to determine who is stronger, we'll have to settle this with our own hands!!"

"Combined!!"

As he spoke, Usopp also stuck the black chopsticks into his nostrils, shoving them wide open, and then the two of them started a nostril chopstick dance on the spot.

Zoro, Sanji, Nami: Two idiots!!!

……